Chapter 524
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 524
Chapter Title: Stronger Than the Sect Leader?
Ban Yun.
The leader of the Fragrant Plum Sect.
He was also a first-generation disciple of the Huashan Sect.
When he realized there was no longer a place for him in his home sect, he sought permission from the sect leader and descended the mountain to establish himself in this city of Shangnam.
Curiously, despite the city's prosperity, no major sects had claimed territory here first.
Not even a branch of the Zhongnan Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects of Shaanxi Province.
Ban Yun had seized the opportunity before the Zhongnan Sect could set foot.
There were a few minor sects around, but none worth worrying about.
There was one pathetic black path group calling themselves the Black Face Hall, but he simply ignored them.
Where there are people, there must be order.
And in a place teeming with crowds, all sorts gathering, money flowing freely—a city like this needed at least one shady outfit to handle the dirty work.
Ban Yun understood that principle well.
They were rabble he could wipe out in a single night if he felt like it, so he let them be.
Instead, he expanded his martial arts schools under his banner, aiming to bring all of Shangnam under his influence.
One such school had caught his eye: the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall.
For a small outfit, it had quite the history. It had stood in Shangnam for over a century.
Graduates of the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall could be found in positions throughout the city.
But a martial hall was no martial sect.
They barely grasped even third-rate internal energy methods, focusing mostly on external training at best.
Most alumni ended up as common soldiers, with the highest posts being city gate captains.
Not worth his attention, but that location—it was prime real estate.
The Flowing Cloud Martial Hall sat plump in the golden heart of Shangnam's eastern district.
He'd always thought he'd claim it someday, but as a branch of the prestigious Huashan Sect, the Fragrant Plum Sect couldn't resort to underhanded tactics.
So he'd watched patiently for years, planning a legitimate acquisition.
After the Fragrant Plum Sect took root in Shangnam, the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall struggled, piling up debts.
It nearly fell to loan sharks for failure to pay.
'Who'd have thought that kid would head to the Fierce Dragon Corps and earn enough to clear the debts...'
Ban Yun grimaced, recalling the incident.
The hall owner's son had paid off everything with earnings from the Fierce Dragon Corps, derailing the plan just as Ban Yun was about to buy it from the sharks.
That's why the report from his chief steward perked his ears.
The Black Face Hall.
Those black path thugs were offering to swallow the Flowing Cloud Martial Hall with their dirty tricks—in exchange for turning a blind eye and a suitable bribe.
"What do you think?"
At Ban Yun's question, the Fragrant Plum Sect's chief steward, Seo Hon, smiled slyly.
"A fine proposal, but we can't just accept it outright. The Flowing Cloud Martial Hall is something we've had our eyes on for years. We can't let black path scum take it whole."
Seo Hon's thoughts mirrored Ban Yun's own.
Ban Yun nodded.
"What makes it a fine proposal, then?"
"As an upright orthodox sect, we can't use foul means without cause. But those thugs can."
Seo Hon's smile took on a cunning edge.
It spread to Ban Yun.
Ban Yun hadn't appointed Seo Hon chief steward for nothing.
It was precisely that mindset—perfectly attuned to his own.
Ban Yun had never been a paragon of righteousness.
He was greedy, and to sate that greed, he overlooked certain methods.
His departure from Huashan was no different.
Realizing he'd never rise to elder, he left to pursue his ambitions in a city like this.
Backed by Huashan's prestige, of course.
But establishing a branch under Huashan's halo drew stuffy, rigid types.
Filled with pride as disciples of a renowned orthodox sect.
It frustrated Ban Yun to no end, until Seo Hon came along, venting his frustrations and earning rapid promotion to chief steward.
"The eastern district must be quite profitable. What split seems fair?"
"Seven-three sounds right."
The Fragrant Plum Sect taking seventy, naturally.
"Not too generous?"
"We need to leave them scraps to survive—keep them obedient going forward."
Smiles deepened on both men's faces.
Come to think of it, he did need lackeys for dirty work.
Since the Black Face Hall had bowed first, seeking aid, he'd turn them into his limbs.
"Start at eight-two."
"Of course."
Gossips loved rankings for everything.
Top Ten Masters Under Heaven, Ten Great Orthodox Sects, and so on.
Naturally, they ranked feminine beauty too, selecting the five most stunning women of the martial world and dubbing them the Five Flowers of the Martial World.
Ice Lotus Flower Yeon Ha-min of the Hubei Yeon Clan.
Scarce few had seen her in person, yet her name always topped the lists.
Thanks to Yeon Ja-kyeong's machinations.
Even without them, her beauty was peerless enough to claim first among the Five Flowers.
Warm Orchid Flower Namgung Ji-yu of the Namgung Clan.
She'd changed her name to Namgung Yu after some clan incident, but many still knew her as Namgung Ji-yu.
Countless had beheld and marveled at her beauty firsthand—no need to elaborate.
Immortal Chrysanthemum Flower Gongson Bi-yeon of Immortal Valley.
Those healed at the valley spread tales of her refined elegance far and wide.
Were the world's beauties confined to orthodox sects?
No—the Evil Lotus Alliance had one whose allure reached extremes.
Vicious Lotus Flower Gongson Bi-yeon.
Granddaughter of the Evil Lotus Alliance Leader Gong Ya Jang-cheon, her beauty drew gasps from countless warriors at the main branch.
Women of the martial world were martial artists too.
True to form, some shone not just in looks but in peerless martial prowess—like Sword Plum Flower Wi Su-yeon of the Huashan Sect.
Her beauty could steal souls, paired with swordsmanship vying for top among Huashan's younger generation.
The talk of the world.
Now, she frowned delicately, poring over a martial manual.
"Strange. No matter how I look, it's off."
The manual spread before her.
The Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique.
Huashan's signature art, the sect's very face.
Not every disciple could learn it.
Only those whose talent was acknowledged.
Wi Su-yeon had read the manual dozens of times.
Each time, she muttered the same thing.
Strange.
Her doubts persisted, unyielding to scrutiny.
Even her sect elders offered no answers.
Today was no different.
Frustrated, she stepped to the sect gate, gazing down the mountain.
Huasan of the Central Five Peaks, called West Peak.
A mountain of sheer cliffs and perils.
Atop Lotus Peak sat the Huashan Sect.
Just stepping out revealed the sect's vistas, Lotus Peak and beyond.
Winter's grip loosening, spring approaching.
Time for plum blossoms to burst forth.
Yet.
Scanning the views below, not a hint of plum shadows anywhere.
Huasan's springs were always like this.
No plum blossoms.
Yet the sect's prized technique was the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword, its elite called Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
What could explain it?
She'd asked the elders out of burning curiosity, but they only said it had been passed down that way—no one questioned it.
Only she did.
Subtle awkwardness felt while practicing the technique.
Intuition told her it tied to the unnatural name.
Those hitches were faint, nigh imperceptible.
Her genius with the sword, honed body awareness—they alone detected it.
Others noticed nothing.
"Maybe ask the Plum Blossom Sword Sage..."
Wi Su-yeon murmured softly.
The previous generation's greatest Huashan sword: Plum Blossom Sword Sage.
Like Wudang's Muyeon the True Man, Huashan had its Sword Sage.
But three years past, she'd vanished into secluded training somewhere on the mountain.
"Tsk tsk. Still at it?"
Behind her now stood Huashan elder and Discipline Hall Lord Yu Chu-eun, clicking her tongue in pity.
"Master..."
She was also Wi Su-yeon's master.
A trailblazer: woman elder, risen to Discipline Hall Lord.
"My talents fall short of yours, unable to resolve your doubts. I am sorry."
Her words brimmed with regret.
"N-no, Master! It's because you guided me so well that I'm here today..."
Whenever her master lamented thus, Wi Su-yeon flustered.
It felt like sinning.
"The Sword Sage's whereabouts are unknown, so for answers to your question..."
Yu Chu-eun trailed off.
"Ha Mu-baek... that man might know."
A soft mutter, but loud enough.
"Pardon? Ha Mu-baek? Was there someone by that name in our sect?"
A new name, so she asked.
Yu Chu-eun shook her head.
"No Huashan disciple."
"Then...?"
"Former Hocheon Corps Leader, now instructor at the Dragon Training Pavilion."
Yu Chu-eun hadn't heard Ha Mu-baek had become Fierce Dragon Corps Leader and left the pavilion.
As Discipline Hall Lord, she focused inward, ignoring outside affairs.
News of his instructor role was recent.
"Why would such a person know the answer?"
"The strongest warrior I've ever seen."
The last war.
She'd fought fiercely, glimpsing Ha Mu-baek once on the battlefield.
A desperate fight turned by Hocheon Corps aid, ending in victory.
Its star: Hocheon Corps Leader Ha Mu-baek.
"Even stronger than the sect leader?"
Wi Su-yeon whispered dubiously.
Yu Chu-eun glanced around, nodding faintly.
"What about the Sword Sage or the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader?"
"I've never seen those two fight all-out."
"Should I go to the Dragon Training Pavilion, then?"
She'd deliberately avoided it, to unravel the sword technique's mystery.
"Seeking outsider advice on sect arts? Absurd."
Yu Chu-eun stated firmly.
Her pride in Huashan was unyielding.
"Then why mention it?"
A resentful tone.
"It slipped out unbidden."
Wi Su-yeon pouted.
"Whatever the elders say of your doubts, I believe you. Plums scarce on Huashan, yet 'plum blossom' in our sword name—there must be a reason. My skills fall short, but you must uncover it."
With that, Yu Chu-eun turned, crossing the gate into the sect.
Wi Su-yeon gazed once more at Huashan's scenery.
"Not a single plum blossom, even if I wash my eyes looking. Tch."
Words uttered countless times before, murmured again.